Ukrainian president asks Netherlands to stop all trade with Russia

By Selman Aksunger and Abdullah Asiran

THE HAGUE/ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the Netherlands to stop trade with Russia and requested more weapons on Thursday.

Zelenskyy spoke to the Dutch parliament via video link and said Russia was funding the war with oil and gas revenues and, therefore, the Netherlands should stop trading with Russia.

He said Russia did not wage a fair war and underlined that those responsible should be tried at The Hague.

But the Dutch prime minister said the Netherlands will not boycott Russian energy.

Mark Rutte told Dutch public broadcaster NOS that the Netherlands' sanctions package against Russia is "unprecedented.”

“But it is also important that we can continue to warm our people and that our core industries continue to work. The Netherlands aims to get rid of dependence on Russian gas as soon as possible, but this will not be possible in the short term. We must consider all interests,” he said.

Referring to Ukraine's demand for fast-track EU membership, Rutte said it is out of the question.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and the UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,232 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,935 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which noted that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 4 million Ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, said the UN refugee agency.